Dispensing apparatus



Allg. 1933. NA RfKlRK' 1,920,867

DI SPEN S I NG APPARATUS Patented Aug. i," 193s Nrrso STATI-:s

rarer oFFicE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing apparatus and particularly toapparatus for dispensing paste and depositing it upon a brush or similarimplement. Apparatus embodying my invention is especially adapted forthe dispensing of tooth paste and depositing it upon tooth brushes.Almost all tooth paste is sold in collapsible metal tubes provided withscrew caps which are lost very easily. When the caps are lost and thetube nozzle left uncovered the paste has a decided tendency -tolhardenin the nozzle, necessitating .the application of greater pressure thanusual in order to extrude paste from the tube, and fre.

quently resulting in the waste of paste. Moreover, it is well knownthat-such tubes, soon after being put into use, become unsightly due tobeing pressed at various points and being smeared with waste paste attheir discharge ends.

f One object of the present invention is to provide a dispensingapparatus including a preferably rigid reservoir adapted to be lled withthe paste or like material to be dispensed, and means operated by amovement of the tooth brush or the like for forcibly expelling thematerial'from the reservoir and depositing it upon a brush.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character describedadapted to perform a dispensing operation and then autornaticallyi topartially retrieve or suck back the material last extruded so as toprevent material from adhering to the outside of the apparatus andthereby avoiding the hardening of otherwise exposed material in thedelivery opening.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the kind set forth adaptedto deliver material to a brush or the like when the latter is beingwith.

drawn from under the delivery opening so as to cause material to be laidalong the brush from the inner or handle end toward the outer or freeend thereof. .Other objects will become apparent from a reading of thefollowing description, the appended claims, andthe accompanyingdrawings. Y n

in the drawings, Figure 'l is a perspective view of a dispensingapparatus embodying my inven tion;

Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional view of being broken away;

the apparatus shown in Figure El, some parts being Figure 4 is afragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2, a part of the top of theapparatus being broken away and showing certain parts of the expellingmeans in different positions from those shown in Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a Iview similar to Figure .5, certain parts lbeing shown instill different positions;

AFigure 'I is a horizontal sectional view taken on 65 the line 7-7 ofFigure 2;

Figures 8 and 9 are side and front elevations of y a lever;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of a brush engageable pistonoperating member;

Figures llvand 12 respectively are a4 side elevation and a top plan viewof a combined push and drag link;

Figure 13 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a cylinder body andshowing a fixed abutment formed thereon; and

Figure 14 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the cylinder body showinga pair of spac abutments and a cam surface. A

`1n the drawings, which illustrate a preferred 80 A practical embodimentof the invention, there is shown a container'generally designated Aandincludinga body 1 formed preferably of metal and being provided with abracket 2 which serves to mount the apparatus on a wall by means of g5screws 3, and a reservoir 4 which is' preferably cylindrical and ofglass, the lower end of which is seated on top of the body 1 and withinan upwardly extending circular flange 5 formed on the body.

'Iwo ller openings 6 and 7 extend inwardly from the sides of the body 1toward the center and top face thereof so as to communicate with theinterior of the reservoir 4. 'I'hese openings preferably are of diierentdiameters and are 95 interiorally threaded at their outer ends for thereception of the exteriorally threaded nozzles of the conventionalcollapsible tooth paste tube. Threaded plugs 8 and 9-are provided forclosing the ller openings 6 and 'l after the reservoir lo@ has beennlled.

A follower 10 provided with a peripheral rubber washer 10a is mountedfor sliding movements in the reservoir a in order to prevent thematerial therein from-being in contact with the air, and a removable capor cover 1l is tted upon the upper end 'of the reservoir to prevent dust'from collecting on the 'top of the follower 10.

By providing the follower l0 and by locating the ller openings 6 and 'Iat the lower end of 110 the reservoir, contact of the paste with the airbefore delivery of the paste for use is entirely prevented. As paste isforced in through one or the other of the iiller openings, it will causethe follower to rise within the reservoir so as to make room for thepaste, but the paste will not come in contact with air from the time itleaves the collapsible tube or other source of supply until it isdelivered for use.

In accordance with one feature of my invention, means are provided forpumping material. from the container A and delivering it onto a brush orlike implement for use. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention,there is provided a cylinder 12 formed in the body 1 and communicatingadjacent one of its ends with the interior of the reservoir by means ofan intake opening 13, and a piston 14 reciprocably mounted Within thecylinder. Adjacent its other end the cylinder is adapted to communicatewith the atmosphere by means of a discharge opening generally designated15, the opening 15 comprising a valve chamber 16 formed in a downwardlyextending part 17 of the body 1, a recess 18 in a plug 19 havingthreaded engagement with the lower end of the downwardly extending bodypart 17, and a relatively small diameter orifice 20 extending throughthebottom of the plug 19. Discharge of material through the opening 15is controlled by an outwardly opening ball valve 21 urged on a seat 22by means of a spring 23 interposed between the ball and the bottom or"the recess 18 in theplug 19.

In operation, when the piston 14 is moved from its Figure 2 position toits Figure 5 position, a vacuum will be created in the right hand end ofthe cylinder l2, causing material to descend from the reservoir throughthe intake opening 13 and into the cylinder. The piston 14 then will bemoved from its Figure 5 position toward the right. After the end of thepiston passes the right hand end of the opening 13, thereby closing theopening, further movement of the piston will force material from thecylinder past the valve 21 and through the discharge opening 15. As willbe described later, this operation of the piston takes place when abrush B, indicated in dotted lines, is moved along under the lower endof thedischarge opening. In order to facilitate the depositing of thematerial along the brush, the plug 19 is provided on one side only ofthe orifice 20 with a downwardly extending lip 24, one function of whichis to guide the strip of material while it is being deposited on thebrush and to assist in severing the strip when the desired amount ofmaterial has been discharged.

In accordance with afurther feature of the invention, means are providedfor operating the piston in such a way that material will be dischargedupon the brush when the latter is moved along under the orifice 20 so asto lay the ma- I terial upon the brush from the inner or handle endthereof to the outer end. For operating the piston to obtain thisdesired effect, I have provided a cylindrical piston operating member 25mounted to slide upon a cylindrical guide 26 secured to the bracket 2 ofthe body 1, the cylindrical member 25 being provided with side plates27-27 which serve to mount connections between the member 25 and thepiston i4. These connections include a lever 28 journaled on a pin 29carried by the side plates 27 and having an upper end slot 30 arrangedto receive a reduced portion 31 on the outer end of the piston; and acombined push and -drag link 32 journaled upon a pin 33 carried by theside plates 27, the link 32 being adapted to engage or to be disengagedfrom the lever 28 in a manner to be described.

Near its outer or free end the link 32 is inclined upwardlyv as at 34and then extends parallel to the main or inner end portion of the link,the extreme outer end of the link being provided with a latch nose 35adapted to extend through an opening 36 in the leverl 28. The link isalso provided with a downwardly inclined thrust part 37 adapted toengage and exert a thrust upon the lever 28 when the tubular member 25and the link 32 are moved to the left.

A leaf'spring 38 secured to the link 32 and contacting the top of thetubular member 25 urges the link upwardly to eiect engagement of thelatch nose 35 with the lever 28. A cam surface 39formed on the bottom ofthe body l and disposed in the path of travel of the link is adapted toengage the inclined part 34 thereof for moving it downwardly todisengagethe latch nose 35 from the lever 28. On opposite sides of the camsurface 39 are xed abutments 40-40 adapted to engage the lever 28 whenthe latter is moved to the right, after which further movement of thelever toward the right will cause it to rock about the abutments 40 aspivots.

The tubular member 25 islurged to the right by means of a spring 41disposed between the bracket 2 of the body l, and is provided with abrush engaging wall 42 normally disposed adiacent the lower end of thedischarge opening i5. An extension 43 on the upper side of the tubularmember 25 is adapted to abut against the lip 24 to limit movement of thetubular member toward the right, the extension 43 also being adapted,when in its extreme right hand position, to serve as a cut-off forclosing the lower end of the discharge opening.

In operation, assuming that the parts are in the positions shown inFigure 2 with the exception that the reservoir 4 is empty and thefollower 10 is at the bottom of the reservoir, in order to render theapparatus ready for use one or the other of the closure plugs 8 or 9 isremoved, depending upon 'the size of thread on the tube from which thepaste is to be supplied to the container. The tube is then screwed intothe opening 6 or 7, as the case may be, and the material forced into thecontainer by collapsing the tube. Material entering the container willcontact with the under side of the follower 10 and move the latterupwardly, and thereafter air will not contact with the material.

When it is desired to deposit paste upon a brush, the latter ispositioned with its outer end in engagement with the brush engaging wall42 of the tubular member 25, and the latter is forced to the leftagainst the edge oi.' the Vspring 41. Movement of the tubular member 25and the side plates 27 to the left will cause the outer or latch end ofthe link 32 to pass through the opening 36 in the lever 28, and thethrust portion 37 of the link to press against the lever. Furthermovement of the tubular member, the link 32, and the lever 28 to theleft will move the lever to the position shown in Figure 5, therebymoving the piston to the left to permit material to descend from thereservoir and into the cylinder 12. The brush is then moved in thereverse direction underneath the discharge opening 15 with the tops ofthe bristles of the brush spaced slightly below the lip 24.

acarrear- Movement of the brush in this direction will permit the spring41 to move the tubularmember 25 toward the right. During movement of themember 25 toward the right, the link 32, by reason of the engagement ofits latch nose 35 with the lever 28, will move the latter and the piston14 to the position shown in Figure 6. Upon further movement of the link32 to the right, engagement of its inclined lportion 34 with the camsurface 39 will cause the link to be swung downwardly` andthe latch nose35 to be disengaged from the 1ever.28 so as to permit the nose 35 topass through the opening 36 in the lever. At this time the lever will bein Contact with the xed abutments 40, and continued movement to theright will cause the lever to swing in a counter clockwise direction vabout the abutments 40 as pivots so as to move the piston toward theleft. Movement of the tubular member 25 nally will be arrested byengagement of the cut-off LiS-with the lip 24, and the parts will cometo rest inthe positions shown in Figure 2. During the last part of themovement of the member 25, which, as stated above, causes a partialretraction of the piston 14, material contained within the dischargeopening 15 willbe sucked back toward the cylinder 13 so as to preventthe accumulation of material around the lower end of the dischargeopening, thus obviating the danger of material hardening within ce 20.

Because of the fact that the material is deposited upon the brush as thelatter is moved away from under the apparatus, that is, the material islaid upon the brush from its handle end toward its outer end, there isno danger of material already deposited upon the brush being smearedagainst the apparatus, which might take place if .the material weredeposited upon the brush while the latter is moving towards a positionunder the apparatus. The lip 24, being sharp atl its lower edge, assistsa clean break in the strip of material when the discharging operationhas been com` pleted. y

Although the illustrative form of apparatus shown and described hereinis considered to be a' preferred embodiment of the invention, it will beunderstood that various changes may be made in the specic constructionand arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope of theinvention as dened inthe claims. i

I claim: y

1. A'- dispensing apparatus comprising a cylinder provided with adischarge opening; a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder;piston operating means; a spring for urging said operating means in onedirection; and connections between said piston and said operating meansadapted to move said piston to perform automatically both a dischargestroke and part of a succeeding return stroke during movement of saidoperating means under the urge of said spring.

.2. A dispensing apparatus comprising a cylinderprovided with adischarge opening; a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder; apiston operating member; connections between said piston and saidoperating means adapted to move said piston to perform automaticallyboth a discharge stroke and part of a succeeding return stroke, saidconnections including Va lever pivotally connected to said piston and tosaid operating member and being loosely pivoted to one, a combined dragand push link connected to said operating member and being engageablewith said lever; a cam on said cylinder engageable with said link fordisengaging' the latter from said lever during the latter part of astroke of said operating member; and a fixed abutment engageable withsaid lever intermediate its connections to said operating member andsaid piston.

3'. A dispensing apparatus comprising a cylinder provided with adischarge opening; a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder formovements toward and away from said opening; an operating member mountedfor sliding movements parallel to said pistons axis; a lever pivotallymounted on said member and having loose pivotal connection with saidpiston;- a link pivoted to said operating member, and normally beingconnected to said lever at an intermediate point; a cam iixed withrespect to said cylinder and disposed in the path of said link fordisconnecting the latter from said lever; an abutment associated withsaid cam and located between Asaid piston and said operating memberandin the path of said lever whereby when said operating member is movedin one direction said link and lever rst will move said piston toperform a discharge stroke, the link being then engageable with said camand thereby being disconnected from said lever, and the lever beingengageable with said abutment whereby further movement of theA opeartingmember in the same direction will rock the lever about said abutment andmove the piston a limited distance in the4 opposite direction. l

4. A dispensing apparatus comprising a cylinder provided with adischarge opening; a spring said cylinder; a piston operating member;connections between said piston and said operating means adapted to movesaid piston to perform automatically both a discharge 'stroke and partof a succeeding return stroke, said connections including a leverpivotally connected to said piston and to said operating member andbeing loosely pivoted to one, a combined drag and push link` connectedto said operating member and being engageable with said lever; a cam onsaid cylinder engageable with said link for disengaging thev latter fromsaid lever during the latter part of a stroke of said operating member;and

` a xed abutment engageable with said lever intermediate its connectionsto said operating member and said piston.

6. A dispensing apparatus comprising a container; a discharge openingadapted to communicate with said container and having a substantiallydownwardly facing lower end; a movably mounted member having abrush-engaging portion normally disposed adjacent the lower end of saidopening, said member being movable away from said opening by pressureexerted bythe end of a brush while the brush is moved in one directionalong under said opening; spring means for returning said member to itsnormal position when said brush is moved along underneath said openingin the reverse direction; and means connected to said movable member forforcing material from said container through said opening and on to thebrush only during movement of said brush in said reverse direction.

7. A dispensing apparatus comprising' a container; a discharge openingadapted to communicate with said container and having a substantiallydownwardly facing lower end; a movably mounted member having abrush-engaging portion normally disposed adjacent the lower end of saidopening, said member being movable away from said opening by pressureexerted by the end of a brush while the brush is moved in one directionalong under said opening; spring means for returning said member to itsnormal position when said brush is moved along underneath said openingin the reverse direction; means connected to said movable member` forforcing material from said container through said opening and on to thebrush only during movement of said brush in said reverse direction; anda 'cut oi carried by said movable member and being adapted to close theextreme lower end of said opening when said member is in normalposition.

8. A dispensing apparatus comprising a container; a discharge openingadapted to communicate with said container and having a substantiallydownwardly facing lower end; a movably mounted member having abrush-engaging portion normally disposed adjacent the lower end of saidopening, said member being movable away from said opening by pressureexerted by the end of a brush while the brush is moved in one directionalong under said opening; a spring for returning said member to itsnormal position when said brush is moved along .underneath saidopeningin the reverse direction; means connected to said movable memberfor forcing material from said container through said opening and on tothe brush only during movement of said brush in said reverse direction;and a stop for limiting ymovement of said member under the urge of saidspring.

9. A dispensing apparatus comprising a cylinder provided with adischarge opening; a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder; amember mounted for sliding movements substantially parallel to the axisof said piston, said member having a brush engaging portion normallydisposed adjacent to the lower end of said discharge opening, saidmember being movable away from said opening by pressure exerted by theend of a brush while the ,brush is moved in one direction alongunderneath said opening; a spring for urging said member to its normalposition when said brush is moved along underneath said opening. in thereverse direction; and connections between said piston and said memberadapted to move said piston to perform a` discharge stroke only duringmovement of said member under the urge of said spring.

10. A dispensing apparatus comprising acylinder provided with adischarge opening; a-piston reciprocably mounted in said.cylinder; amember mounted for sliding movements substantially parallel to the axisof said piston, said member having a brush engaging portion normallydisposed adjacent to the lower end of said discharge opening, saidmember being movable Aaway from said opening by pressure exerted by theend of a brush while the brush is moved in one direction alongunderneath said opening; a spring for urging said member to its normalposition when said brush is moved along underneath saidopening inthereverse direction; and connections between said piston and said 4memberadapted to move said piston to perform automatically both a dischargestroke and part of a succeeding return stroke during movement of saidmember under the urge of said spring.

11. A dispensing apparatus comprising a cylinder provided with adischarge opening; a

spring pressed outwardly opening valve for controlling said opening; apiston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder; a member mounted forsliding movements substantially parallel to the axis of said piston,said member having a brush engaging portion no1-mally .disposed adjacentto the lower end of said discharge opening, said member being movableaway from said opening by pressure exerted by the end of a brush whilethe brush is moved in one direction along underneath said opening; aspring for urging said member to its normal position when said brush ismoved along underneath said opening in the reverse direction; andconnections between said piston and said member adapted to move saidpiston to perform a discharge stroke only during movement of said memberunder the urge of said spring.

12. A dispensing apparatus comprising a container; a discharge openingadapted to communicate with said container and having a substantiallydownwardly facing lower end; a movably mounted member having abrush-engaging portion normally disposed adjacent the lower end of saidopening, said member being movable away from said opening by'pressureexerted by the end of a brush while the brush is moved in one directionalong under said opening; a spring for returning said member to itsnormal position when said brush is moved along underneath said openingin the reverse` direction; means connected to said'movable member forforcing material from said'container through said opening and on to thebrush only during movement of said brush in said reverse direction; alip extending downwardly from said opening on the side thereof oppositethat on which said movably mounted member is disposed; and a cut-offcarried by said movable member adapted to engage said lip for limitingmovement of said member upnder the urge of said spring and to close thelower end of said opening when in engagement with said lip.

` NOEL R. KIRK.

